But her husband, Joseph, because he was an upright man and did not want to disgrace her, decided to break the engagement by secretly divorcing her.

So when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and took her as his wife;

but he did not live with her as a husband until she had had a son; and he named Him Jesus.

"A sob was heard in Ramah, weeping and great wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they were gone."

This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, when he said: "Here is a voice of one who shouts in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord; Make the paths straight for him.'"

This very John had his clothing made of camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist; his food was dried locusts and wild honey.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman so as to have an evil desire for her at once has already committed adultery with her in his heart,

"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'

But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any other ground than unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a wife who is thus divorced commits adultery.

Never swear by your own head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

Then Jesus said to the captain, "Go; it must be done for you as you have believed." And his servant-boy was cured that very hour.

He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on Him.

And they suddenly screamed, "What do you want of us, you Son of God? Have you come here before the appointed time to torture us?"

And just as He was saying these things to them, an official came up and fell on his knees before Him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand upon her and she will come to life."

And Jesus, on turning and seeing her, said, "Cheer up, my daughter! Your faith has cured you." And from that moment the woman was well.

But when the crowd had been driven out, He went in and took hold of her hand, and the girl got up.

And the news about her spread all over that country.

Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who was named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John,

But when they turn you over to the courts, you must not worry at all about how or what you ought to speak, for it will be given you at that hour what you ought to speak.

What I speak to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ears, you must proclaim from housetops.

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,

Anybody who gains his lower life will lose the higher life, and anybody who loses his lower life for my sake will gain the higher life.

And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:

The Son of Man came eating and drinking with others, and they say, 'Just look at Him! A glutton and a wine-drinker, a chum of tax-collectors and notorious sinners!' And yet wisdom is vindicated by her doings!"

But I tell you, there is something greater than the temple here!

"Here is my Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom my soul delights itself. I will endow Him with my Spirit, and He will announce a judgment to the heathen.

He will not debate, nor challenge anyone; His voice will no one hear in the streets;

The men of Nineveh will rise with the leaders of this age at the judgment and condemn them, for they turned to the message preached by Jonah, and there is more than Jonah here!

The queen of the south will rise with the leaders of this age at the judgment and condemn them, for she came from the farthest limits of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and there is more than Solomon here!

And with a gesture toward His disciples He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.

This is why I am speaking to them in stories, because they look but do not see, they listen but do not really hear or understand.

For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!'

"But blessed are your eyes, for they are beginning to see, and your ears, for they are beginning to hear.

For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it.

And are not His sisters all living here with us? Where then did He get all these things?"

for John had said to him, "It is not right for you to have her as wife."

But when Herod's birthday came, Herodias' daughter danced before the guests. Herod was fascinated by her,

and so passionately promised to give her anything she might ask for.

And she, prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head right here on a platter."

And the king was sorry, but on account of his oath and his guests, he ordered it to be given her.

And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she took it to her mother.

But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to leave here; give them something to eat yourselves."

They said to Him, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."

He said, "Bring them here to me."

Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were knocked breathless to hear what you have just said?"

But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came up and kept begging Him, "Send her away, for she keeps on screaming after us."

Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, wonderful is your faith! You must have what you want." And her daughter was cured at that very moment.

For whoever wants to save his higher life will have to give up the lower life, and whoever gives up his lower life for my sake will find the higher life.

For what benefit will it be to a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his higher life? What price would a man pay to buy back his life?

I solemnly say to you, some of the people standing here will certainly live to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

And Peter interrupted, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you consent, I will put up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

And Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving and perverted people of the times! How long can I put up with you? Bring him here to me!"

He answered them, "Because you have so little faith! For I solemnly say to you, if you have the faith that is living like a grain of mustard, you can say to this mountain, 'Move over from here to yonder,' and it will move over, and nothing will be impossible for you to do."

I tell you, whoever divorces his wife for any other cause than her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery."

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come back here and follow me."

"For the kingdom of heaven is like an owner of an estate who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

About five he went out again and found still others standing around, and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?'

and say, 'These last worked only one hour, and yet you have put them on the same footing with us who have borne the heavy burdens and scorching heat of the day.'

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came up to Him with her sons, kneeling to Him and asking a favor of Him.

And He asked her, "What do you want?" She answered Him, "Give orders that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right and one at your left in your kingdom."

and ordered them, "Go into the village that is ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me.

and asked Him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus answered them, "Yes. Did you never read this, 'Out of the mouths of little children, yea, of infants, you have perfect praise'?"

But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is his heir, come on, let us kill him, and get all that is coming to him!'

So he said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding suit on?' But his lips were sealed.

Now at the resurrection which one's wife, of the seven, will she be? For they all married her."

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! The city that has kept on murdering the prophets, and stoning those who have been sent to her, how often I have yearned to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you refused!

But He answered them, "Do you see all these things? I solemnly say to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be torn down."

You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care not to be scared out of your wits. They have to come, but that is not the end yet.

"If anyone at that time says to you, 'Here is the Christ!' or 'There He is!' do not believe it,

So if they say to you, 'Here He is in the desert,' do not go out to see. Or 'Here He is in some secret place,' do not believe it.

But about that day or hour not a single one knows -- not even the angels in heaven or the Son; not a single one but the Father alone.

So you, too, must continue to be ready, for at an hour you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will come.

But at midnight there was a shout, 'Here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!'

So you must keep on watching, for you do not know either the day or the hour.

The man who had received the five thousand dollars came up and brought him five thousand more, saying, 'You turned over to me five thousand dollars; here are five thousand more I made.'

Then the man who had received the two thousand came up and said, 'Master, you turned over to me two thousand dollars; here are two thousand more I made.'

So I was afraid, and went off and buried your thousand dollars in the ground. Here is your money.'

I solemnly say to you, all over the world wherever this good news is proclaimed, the good deed that she has done will be told, in memory of her."

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to the disciples, "Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray."

Then He said to them, "My heart is breaking, it almost kills me! You must stay here and keep watching with me."

Then He came back to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Could you not then watch with me a single hour?

Get up and let us be going. Look! Here comes my betrayer!"

Even while He was still speaking, here came Judas, one of the Twelve, and with him a crowd, with swords and clubs, from the high priests and the elders of the people.

Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how strong is the evidence they are bringing against you?"

He is not here; He has risen, as He said He would do. Come, get a look at the place where He was lying.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: "Here I send my messenger ahead of you; He will prepare your way.

Now John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he used to live on dried locusts and wild honey.

And Simon's mother-in-law was confined to her bed with a fever. So they at once told Him about her.

Then He went up to her, grasped her hand, and had her get up. The fever left her, and she began to wait upon them.

And He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else, to the neighboring towns, to preach in them, too, for that is why I came out here."

Then looking around at the people sitting about Him, He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.

In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy,

And He was saying to them: "Take care what you hear. The measure you give will come back to you, and more besides.

and kept earnestly begging Him, saying, "My dear little daughter is at the point of death. Come, lay your hands on her, so that she may get well and live."

Her hemorrhage stopped at once, and she felt in her body that she was cured.

Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.

So the woman, as she knew what had taken place for her, though frightened and trembling, came forward and fell on her knees before His feet, and told Him the whole truth.

And He said to her, "My daughter, your faith has cured you. Go in peace and be free from your disease."

Then He grasped her hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I tell you, get up!"

But He strictly charged them to let nobody know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.